WWE can't ignore turning Roman Reigns heel now
Roman Reigns has been the talk of the pro wrestling world all week since the news of his Wellness Policy suspension broke. Since then, countless fans, bloggers such as me and pro wrestling analysts alike have been brainstorming on how Reigns should be booked when returning. As of right now (Wednesday morning), it looks to be that Reigns has not been pulled from the Battleground pay per view.
So Reigns, who is one of WWE’s top players, has been suspended and that means no two-minute interviews on top of mentions to see what he has been up to. Fans that are sick of Reigns get a long-awaited break from him, and the plus for them is WWE had no choice on the matter. Things will definitely change for the juggernaut when he returns, and many hope that it is a blessing in disguise.
Things are already changing. Monday night, Seth Rollins called Reigns out on his suspension and proceeded to cut a scathing promo on his former Shield brother. As far as I can recall, WWE hasn’t went this route with a Wellness Policy suspension. Things certainly don’t look good in that aspect. While Reigns was booked in the main event, WWE, for me, went too far in having Rollins of all people exploit the Wellness Policy violation (nude photo scandal, anyone?).
Because that was what it was, exploiting and embarrassing Reigns further. I don’t know if it was WWE’s way of sticking it to him, or what. I can see how WWE would be disappointed – it’s no secret the company has spent a lot of time and money on Reigns since his solo run. He was WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and that fact probably had much to do about why WWE would exploit it in the first place.
The top subject however, everyone is talking about is that when Reigns returns, he should turn heel. I have been preaching this, been hell-bent on a character direction for the Samoan Superman for well over a year now, and WWE MUST do this upon his return. There is absolutely no better time than to pull the trigger on saving this man’s career. I don’t think the Wellness Policy violation is the final nail in the coffin, but it didn’t help his matters any when his character and story direction were struggling to begin with.
He is not pulled from Battleground and the company had the top heel publically rip into him (maybe there was a method to the madness); Reigns’ return should be impactful and not another eye-rolling event. If you want a reaction, whatever Reigns does when he comes back should be worth it. He not only should attack Rollins, but he should attack Dean Ambrose as well. WWE best not have him show up smiling and laughing saying he’s glad to be back.
Fans will absolutely not have that, especially if he’s in a face position at Battleground. Reigns will be eaten alive if he plays a face role.
But say, we live in a perfect world and Reigns has made the turn. When Reigns finally gets on the mic to explain himself, it shouldn’t be forced words coming out of his mouth. Reigns’ character has been on an emotional roller coaster. I want to see this man verbally tear everyone apart from head to toe about everything.
His frustrations, his shortcomings; I want him to tell everyone how he really feels. I want to see this man snap, I want him fed up with everything that has been going on. I don’t want to see him smile, I want him seething in anger and I want him to destroy whatever is in his path. Majority of the fans are already booing him, why not give them more reasons to?
In so many words, Roman Reigns must be a changed man when he does come back from his suspension.
This is a perfect time to reshape, reform, and then reboot Roman Reigns. Reigns needs a revival if he plans to survive in the long run. It’s more pros than cons; it really is a no brainer on what to do with him once his suspension is up. There have been times where the opportunity presents itself for Reigns to make the heel turn, but it would never happen.
After this time, if he doesn’t turn then things look extremely bleak for the three-time WWE Champion. If Vince McMahon and Creative continue to go down the beaten path with this man, it will be the kiss of death for him. WWE can’t afford to have anymore fails with Reigns.
If Reigns can survive in the long haul, then a heel turn is the best option. It certainly can’t get any worse from here, can it?
Let’s not answer that, let’s just wait until Reigns returns.